A pair of individuals who tried to smother drugs to prisoners at Henrico Jail East were among those indicted by a New Kent grand jury Monday morning. Darrell Lashawn Witcher, 30, currently of Henrico Jail East, and Zanobia Rentavia Pettus, 27, of the Atlantis Apartments, Virginia Beach, were both indicted for the Oct. 10, 2023 incident. Witcher has been indicted on two counts on delivering drugs to a prisoner, while Pettus has been indicted on one count each of delivering drugs to a prisoner and distributing a Schedule III drug to a prisoner. In other indictments certified by the grand…
Read Full Story
A Williamsburg man has died after a car crash in Charles City Monday afternoon. According to a Virginia State Police, shortly after 1:30 p.m., a 2016 Mazda MZ6 was traveling eastbound on Sturgeon Point Road when it ran off the road and struck a tree approximately 800 feet east of Cypress Bank Road. The driver, identified as Marcus Dashawn Gary, 33, succumbed to injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. The crash remains under investigation.
A Mechanicsville man will spend the next two years in jail after pleading guilty to committing indecent acts with minors. Donald Matthews Moore Jr., 36, of the 7900 block of Flannigan Mill Road, entered guilty pleas to two counts each of committing indecent acts with a minor and misdemeanor sexual battery as part of a plea agreement reached Monday morning in New Kent Circuit Court. In a summary of evidence by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, a New Kent investigator was contacted in January 2023 about the actions of an individual committing acts against a minor. Moore, who was…
Read Full Story
“I don’t know who won in this situation. I don’t know who lost either.” Those were the words of former Charles City Deputy Alisha Buchanan, the victim of an Aug. 1, 2022, shooting that involved Yahsim Tremaine Williams, 23, of Newport News, during Williams’ sentencing hearing Tuesday morning in Charles City Circuit Court. Buchanan was the responding officer to a robbery at the Dollar General Store, located at 10341 Courthouse Road. During a two-day jury trial on Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2023, testimony presented showed that an unknown man approached Nelson Peck, a new employee, and ordered him to get money…
Read Full Story
A Charles City man has been indicted on a solo charge of strangulation. Gary Antonio Jones, 27, of the 9400 block of Holly Tree Lane, had the above mentioned charge certified by a grand jury during Tuesday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. The indictment alleges that on Nov. 5, 2023, Jones strangled his victim during an argument. Jones’ case is tentatively set for Mar. 22.
A Dillwyn woman who drove under the influence of alcohol will serve a year in jail after pleading guilty during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Mimi Yvonne Dunkum, 49, of the 100 block of Old Route 15 Lane, admitted guilt to one count of DUI (third or subsequent offense) as part of a plea agreement. One count of misdemeanor driving revoked and driving with an open container of alcohol were dropped as part of the plea deal. In a summary of evidence by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on June 14, 2023, New Kent Sheriff’s Office…
Read Full Story
As New Kent County continues to grow in population, so does the enrollment in the school system. And the result of that growth has led to a proposed budget that tops $50 million. New Kent Superintendent of Schools Brian Nichols and Director of Finance Haynie Morgheim recommended a budget of $51,145,884 for the FY2024-25 year. That number is approximately 11.01 percent more than the current year’s adopted budget of $46,075,167. The budget is based on an average daily membership (ADM) of 3,500 students. An increase in the Local Composite Index from .4244 to .4391 also means the locality will be…
Read Full Story
A Richmond man will spend two years in jail for eluding police officers on a motorcycle. Anthony Robert Pearson Jr., 47, entered guilty pleas to felony eluding, misdemeanor reckless driving, and misdemeanor driving suspended as part of a plea agreement reached Monday in New Kent Circuit Court. One charge driving through a safety zone was dropped. In a summary of evidence, on Aug. 27, 2023, a Virginia State Trooper patrolling Interstate 64 westbound clocked a motorcycle traveling 130 miles per hour in a posted 65 miles per hour zone at mile marker 205. The operator of the bike failed to…
Read Full Story
Charles City County’s School Board is extending an olive branch to county leaders on the possibility of a regional wastewater treatment plant. Director of School Operations Jerome Tyler read a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to school board members at the Feb. 20 regular school board meeting. The possibility of a regional wastewater plant first came to light at a March 2022 meeting. With both the county and school facilities needing upgrades to their individual plants, a presentation was made by Charles City County Administrator Michelle Johnson to address the issue. At that time, Johnson’s presentation pointed out that a…
Read Full Story
Charles City’s School Board received no public feedback on the proposed FY2024-25 budget at Monday night’s public hearing. Charles City Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy presented a budget of $7,347,808 for operations in FY2024-25. That amount is $845,323, or 21 percent, more than the current year’s budget of $6,502,486. Joppy emphasized that the budget is one of need, but also spoke about positions that needed to be sustained. With ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds expiring in September of this year, the superintendent commented how those funds have been utilized to assist with learning loss caused by the…
Read Full Story